Haiti is extremely vulnerable to shifts in climate: a 2016 United Nations report found that over the past 20 years, Haiti lost more lives to natural disasters than any other country in the world, and the European NGO Germanwatch ranked Haiti third on its 2017 Long-Term Climate Risk Index, a 20-year analysis of countries most affected by climate variability. Unsurprisingly, Haitian farmers, which make up approximately 60% of the country's workforce, are some of the most affected by climate change.

Activities

To address these vulnerabilities, this project will create the INDC Coalition, named for Haiti's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution developed for the Paris climate change agreement in December 2015, and intended to shape Haiti's climate change policies through 2030. The INDC Coalition will develop scientifically-sound advocacy strategies, allowing stakeholders to act collectively to accelerate the fight against climate change and food insecurity in Haiti. The coalition, through its local branches working in the field, will document the problems faced by Haitian farmers and bring the issues and concerns of these vulnerable communities to a national level. The coalition will also ensure that strategies adopted in response to climate change will enhance these populations' long-term resilience.
The INDC Coalition will bring together civil society organizations (national and select international NGOs, pre-existing networks, and farmers' associations), research institutes, and universities that are working on different aspects of agriculture, food security, and climate change adaptation in Haiti. The project will take place over a three-year period to give ample time for the coalition to form, carry out capacity-building exercises with local farmers, and engage with policy-makers around issues of climate change adaptation.